Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kim's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Kim, Female

Biomarkers: ER 99% positive; PR 85% positive; HER2-negative

Kim’s ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative ILC responded strongly to Zoladex and Letrozole before skin-sparing mastectomy, with 90% tumor necrosis, clear margins, no lymph node spread, and confirmation that she was cancer-free.

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Vision problems led to a breast cancer diagnosis (cancer-associated retinopathy)

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female

Biomarkers: Anti-recoverin and anti-alpha-enolase antibodies associated with cancer-associated retinopathy; tumor biomarkers not reported

Six years after her initial visual symptoms, vision remained stable and she remained cancer-free on surveillance.

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HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer With Recurrent Severe Hypocalcemia - Case 2

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: bone, liver

She died about 7 years after her breast-cancer diagnosis after rapid deterioration from liver metastases.

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Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Treatment-Related Telangiectasias

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive; initially ER-negative and PR-negative; metastatic disease weakly ER-positive and PR-negative; germline testing negative

Metastatic Site: left supraclavicular, mediastinal, axillary and…

Living with HER2-positive breast cancer for 9+ years since her 2014 diagnosis, including metastatic disease since 2017. She remained on reduced-dose tucatinib in 2023 while treatment-related telangiectasias improved after dose reduction and electrocautery.

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Breast Tumor Disappears on Imaging During Treatment for Multiple Myeloma

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 60s

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative

The breast lesion showed a complete radiologic response before planned surgery, and there was no evidence of breast-cancer relapse or progression through 2022, about 5 years after diagnosis.

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Male breast cancer in both breasts linked to Klinefelter syndrome, initially missed

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; Klinefelter syndrome

Metastatic Site: spine / bone

With advanced metastatic disease and an estimated prognosis of weeks or less, care focused on symptom relief under the palliative-care team.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment Complicated by a Supplement–Drug Interaction

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: bones

She resumed ribociclib with letrozole after the supplement was discontinued and the treatment-related neutropenia improved enough to restart therapy.

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Breast tumor with extensive tissue death (infarction)

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female

Biomarkers: Oestrogen receptor-positive; HER2 equivocal; confirmatory HER2 FISH was not performed

After 1.5 years of endocrine therapy, there was no clinical evidence of residual tumour.

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Metastatic breast cancer with a blood condition that mimicked multiple myeloma

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Oestrogen receptor-positive

Metastatic Site: bone

Her pain came under control and the metastatic breast cancer remained stable for approximately 5 years. MGUS did not progress to myeloma, and she later died from causes unrelated to cancer.

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Chemotherapy complication: methotrexate absorbed into the bloodstream after spinal injection

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative; Oncotype DX Recurrence Score 20

Metastatic Site: leptomeninges / central nervous system; brain

Five months after leptomeningeal carcinomatosis was recognised, she developed a new 2 cm brain lesion and neurological decline. Her family chose supportive care, and she died 10 days after transfer to inpatient hospice.

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Inflammatory Breast Cancer and Dermatomyositis Improve Together With Treatment

Patient Info: Anonymized, female, 70+

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-positive

When her dermatomyositis symptoms later worsened, CT, breast ultrasound and bone scans found no breast-cancer recurrence.

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Breast Cancer: Mary's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Mary Richichi, female, 70+

Biomarkers: hormone receptor-positive

Mary’s breast cancer was described as under control and in remission after treatment.

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Stage IV PIK3CA Breast Cancer: Abigail's Patient Story

Patient Info: Abigail, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Hormone-positive breast cancer with PIK3CA mutation and germline ATM mutation; later PD-L1 somatic change reported. HER2 not stated.

Metastatic Site: Bone, including femurs, spine, and humeri; later liver

As of October 2022, Abigail was living with Stage IV hormone-positive metastatic breast cancer after years of treatment, bone-dominant disease that later involved the liver, targeted therapies, genomic testing, and advocacy around clinical trials and patient research participation.

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Teacher travels 600 miles for Dana-Farber care

Patient Info: Pam Zwemer, 50s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: bone, stomach lining

11+ years after her original breast cancer diagnosis, she was living with Stage IV disease after bone recurrence in 2008 and spread to the stomach lining in 2011, while continuing clinical-trial care and working as a teacher.

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Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Stephanie's Patient Story

Patient Info: Stephanie, Female, 60s

As of February 2022, Stephanie was living with locoregional recurrent ILC after extensive surgery and ongoing treatment with Ibrance/Femara, with recent bone, abdomen, and chest scans showing no new cancer growth and continued Femara without chemotherapy.

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Stage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Carol's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Carol, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Bone

Carol had de novo Stage IV breast cancer with bone metastases, achieved complete remission after chemotherapy, stayed on daily Letrozole for 10 years, then returned to NED/no active disease after Kisqali and Faslodex for bone progression.

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Breast cancer returned in the stomach and peritoneum after three years in remission

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Biomarkers: Initial breast tumor: ER 95%, PR 5%, HER2-negative, Nottingham grade 2. Metastatic peritoneal tumor: ER 80%

Metastatic Site: stomach; peritoneum

After metastatic breast cancer was confirmed in the stomach and peritoneum, she chose palliative care and inpatient hospice and died a few weeks later.

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Breast cancer with sarcoidosis that mimicked metastatic disease

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-positive; HER2-negative.

Her most recent mammogram showed no recurrent breast cancer while she continued letrozole, goserelin, and six-monthly follow-up.

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Occult lobular breast cancer first discovered through colon metastases

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive; PR-negative; HER2-negative; E-cadherin-negative

Metastatic Site: colon

Her tumour marker decreased during letrozole and palbociclib treatment, but recurrent infections interrupted therapy, and she died from urosepsis 2 years after diagnosis.

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Stage IIIA Right Breast Cancer Followed by a Late Radiation Nerve Injury

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage III

Imaging in January 2019 found no evidence of breast-cancer recurrence, although she had developed radiation-induced brachial plexopathy.

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Recurrent Breast Cancer With a Benign-Appearing Chest-Wall Rash

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: ER-positive; PR-negative; HER2-negative.

Metastatic Site: mediastinal lymph nodes

She had recurrent chest-wall and mediastinal metastatic disease; a later rash biopsy showed dermatitis rather than another skin recurrence.

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Occult breast cancer found in the axillary lymph nodes during diagnosis of four cancers

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+

Biomarkers: ER 90% positive; HER2 overexpression; CK19-positive; mammaglobin-positive.

Almost four years after the synchronous cancer diagnoses, she was alive without recurrence and continued letrozole and oncology follow-up.

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Stage IV BRCA2 Breast Cancer: Lisa's Patient Story

Patient Info: Lisa Quinn, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Inherited BRCA2 mutation

Metastatic Site: bone, liver

Lisa Quinn died on August 30, 2021, after sharing her experience with metastatic breast cancer and advocating for cancer research funding.

Stage III Breast Cancer: Christine's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Christine Cosby | Stage III

At the latest report, there was no sign of cancer in Christine’s body and she had recovered enough to return to work part time.